Water Freezes Differently on Positively and Negatively Charged Surfaces of Pyroelectric Materials

Although ice melts and water freezes under equilibrium conditions at 0 degrees C, water can be supercooled under homogeneous conditions in a clean environment down to -40 degrees C without freezing. The influence of the electric field on the freezing temperature of supercooled water (electrofreezing) is of topical importance in the living and inanimate worlds. We report that positively charged surfaces of pyroelectric LiTaO3 crystals and SrTiO3...